PHOSPHORUS
It is present in vegetables, grains (oat metal, wheat meal), milk, eggs, cheese, meat, fish, etc.
It helps in -
(a) Like calcium it is a constituent of bones.
(b) Component of phospholipids, phosphoprotein and nucleotides.
(c) Energy rich phosphate bonds are required in energy transfer through the formation and hydrolysis of ATP.
(d) Most carbohydrates become active only in their phosphorylated state.
(e) Phosphate is a constituent of co-enzymes NAD, NADP, FMN & FAD.
(f) Phosphates function as pH buffers.